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El Museo del Barrio is proud to announce that Luis Camnitzer, a traveling exhibition exploring five decades of work by the conceptual artist and writer Luis Camnitzer organized by Daros Latinamerica, Zurich, will be on view February 2 – May 29, 2011.

Curated by Hans-Michael Herzog, director of Daros Latinamerica, and Katrin Steffen, co-curator, this fascinating retrospective includes approximately 70 pieces dating from 1966 to the present, assembled from the Daros Latinamerica Collection. The exhibition is part of El Museo’s FOCOS series, which highlights mature, under-recognized artists.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to present Camnitzer’s compelling work to our New York audiences, and to collaborate with Daros Latinamerica for the first time in this endeavor so closely allied to our own mission,” states Deborah Cullen, Director of Curatorial Programs at El Museo del Barrio. “Luis Camnitzer is an artist who has been critical to the New York art scene since the 1960s when he moved here, and his influence on the broader Latin American and conceptual field is profound.”

At the heart of his work lies the idea that artists are … ethical beings sifting right from wrong and just from unjust

A pioneer of conceptual art, Camnitzer takes a firm socio-political stance. At the heart of his work lies the idea that artists are not first creators of paintings or sculptures, but rather primarily ethical beings sifting right from wrong and just from unjust. He works in a variety of media—including installation, printmaking, drawing, and photography.

“Camnitzer has developed an essentially autonomous oeuvre, unmistakably distinguished from that of his U.S. colleagues by its exquisite feel for context and contingency, acerbic wit, ludic qualities, ironically metaphorical polyvalence, as well as its solid socio-political commitment,” notes Herzog. “The Daros Latinamerica Collection is proud to enjoy the largest collection of Camnitzer’s work, and is thrilled to share with El Museo’s audience this profound insight into his artistic life.”

A fully illustrated catalogue in English and Spanish published by Hatje Cantz Verlag accompanies the exhibition. In addition to a conversation between Luis Camnitzer and Hans-Michael Herzog, the publication includes essays by Sabeth Buchmann, Antonio Eligio Fernández (Tonel), Michael Glasmeier, Maren Welsch, and Camnitzer, along with a preface by Cullen.